“Don’t you want to know who really killed your family?” The man appeared to him in his nightmare again. It was almost the same as his vision. He was under his right foot, looking bloody and tired, but the only difference was that he was screaming for his life.
“AAAAGH!” he woke up screaming. His body was the sweatiest it had ever been. It took him a few moments to snap back to reality. The words were still crystal clear to his ears.
Don’t you want to know who really killed your family?
“You okay dude?” The guy on the bed next to him asked. His sleeping mask pushed back his glossy black hair, which was odd because he was still on his bed.
“Who are you?” Yuri asked, looking shocked.
“Oh right, we haven’t met yet. I’m Tumes,” he said. Now that Yuri fully had his foot in reality, he noticed the extremely well-proportioned abs that Tumes was packing. “I’m Yuri.”
Tumes caught him staring dead into his abs. “You like these bad boys? Took me three years, if you’re wondering,” he said, smiling.
“No, I was just-”
He was cut off by the bathroom door opening. Stu came out of it, with a towel around his waist and with his hair combed back. “Morning, Stu, Yuri.” he greeted them.
“You already met him?” Yuri asked, confused.
“Yeah, I met him when I woke up,” Stu answered. He walked across the room and unzipped his bags.
“But you’re still in bed?” Yuri turned to Tumes.
“Yeah dude, I like to workout before I get out of my bed.” Tumes pulled himself out of his bed and stretched his entire body. He was a hell of a man, definitely more than six feet tall and with muscles all around his body that looked like they were made out of stones.
“Umm… Yuri? You should get out of bed too. Class starts in an hour.” Stu advised as he put on his pants.
“Right,” Yuri replied, still not taking his eyes off the beast in front of him.
“Where’s 48?” Yuri asked, finally up from bed and staring at the mirror. His bed hair stood up like it was electrified.
“I think he’s just walking around. We’ll find him and go to the mess room together.” Stu replied.
“Right.”
Yuri hopped in the shower. It took him a solid five minutes to get adjusted to the cold water. He came out of the shower looking like a chicken, crossing its wings to protect its chest, and shivering like an idiot. It didn’t take him long to put on his clothes. They decided to wait for Tumes to get out of the shower and head to the mess together.
“What do we have this morning?” Yuri asked, yawning. The cold shower didn’t seem to affect him after all.
“Kre-Gia. Although, It’s just mostly going to be a Gia introductory class.” Stu replied while reading the national newspaper.
“Hey, check this out.” Stu extended his hands and shared half of the newspaper with Yuri. He pointed his thumb toward a headline.
Yuri read it out loud. “Sizaxian assassinations in Tanthel. Two Sizaxians belonging to the trader clan were found dead.”
“This is highly unusual,” Stu said. “If I’m correct, Sizaxian deaths at the hands of humans is not something we have heard of,” he added.
“Look at the picture,” Yuri said. “There is something written on the wall next to the bodies.”
Stu brought the paper close to his eyes and said “Hail Basilisk.”
“What?”
“I think it says ‘Hail Basilisk.’”
Yuri moved in closer to read the full article. He tried to find anything related to the Basilisk written on the wall.
“Rumors claim that the Basilisk is an underground revolutionary group that is headed by an unknown individual who goes by the name of Garp. Other sources claim that Basilisk is the revolution that will pluck out the weeds in our country. However, this is only the incident in which the supposed revolutionary group is referenced. The Cassian police have launched an official investigation into Basilisk.”
“That is indeed serious stuff,” Yuri remarked after he finished reading the article. “Are the Valors supposed to be involved in this? Since the Sizaxians have served as protectors of the Aori for centuries?” Yuri asked.
“I’m not sure. Valors are not investigators. Our job is to eliminate threats and exorcize ghouls. I don’t see the council looking into this.” Stu answered.
“On the bright side,” Yuri flipped the pages to the front. “Your father is looking good in the election.”
‘Kar Arwt predicted to win the election. How a staff member at the Mayor’s office came to be a major competitor in the election,’ The headline read.
“Since when did you know about my father?” Stu asked after a few moments while looking him in the eyes.
“What do you mean? I’ve always known. He’s famous.” Yuri replied.
“Aren’t you happy?” Yuri asked after a few seconds of confused silence.
“Yeah, I guess.”
The bathroom door opened to reveal an even more majestic Tumes. His skin was glowing. “Ready to go, ladies?” he asked. They blushed.
The three of them found 048 sitting on the couch in the common room on the first floor, watching national news from the small tv box. “Reports claim that the Sizaxians were visiting Tanthel for professional trading business with local landlords. It was on their first night on Tanthel that they were brutally assassinated in the streets. There have been no witnesses or information regarding the killer as of yet.” The news lady went on.
“Did you know them?” Stu asked 048.
“No,” he replied. “I don’t have a lot of friends in the trading clan, but this is bad.”
“Going to the mess?” 048 asked them.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll join you.”
The four of them found a packed mess hall. Last time, It was just the first years in these halls, but now the hall was packed with all the students. Upon their entrance, there were a few whispers and curious looks shot at them. Most of them were regarding 048.
“A Sizaxian Valor? That’s nuts.” They heard one of their seniors say. It was a pain, but they found Tatsu and Ada sitting at an empty table at the far end of the hall. Tatsu waved at them and signaled them to come over. They collected their meal from the lunch lady before heading to them.
“I want more gravy,” Tumes demanded. The lunch lady hissed and poured half of the entire bucket over his meal. “Thank you.”
“You must be the new Sizaxian.” The lunch lady told him. “Don’t worry, I have the stuff for you.” She picked up a big metal container and placed it on her counter. The container had the word ‘KETHRAX’ written over it in red paint.
“Thank you,” he said to the ugly lunch lady.
“That’s your fuel?” Yuri asked 048 as they moved on from the counter.
“Yeah. This bucket is enough to keep me going for three days with full strength.” He replied.
“That is convenient,” Tumes said. “I wish I was a Sizaxian.”
“Why?” Stu asked Tumes.
“Well, dieting is a bitch. I need to balance my calories. Sucking in oil sounds a lot better.”
They reached the end of the hall. Yuri pulled in an extra chair for the six of them to sit together. Tatsu and Ada’s eyes were entirely on Tumes.
“Hi. I’m Tumes.” He told them.
“Ada.”
“Tatsu.” They introduced themselves.
“You look a lot more mature than these two,” Tatsu said.
Yuri and Stu looked offended. “We are mature,” Stu argued.
“Yeah, sure.” Tatsu laughed them off and drank her milk.
“That’s because I’m eighteen,” Tumes told them.
“So, you’re three years older than us?” Tatsu asked.
“I am. I was in the military before, then I took some stupid test that said I had a high gia count, whatever that means. They told me I was eligible to train here.” He paused and swallowed the rice and gravy. “My general told me that training here will make me stronger than I could ever imagine. So, you could say that I’m curious.”
The boys were all in awe. They now looked at him with eyes of respect.
“That is so cool man,” Yuri said. “And inspiring,” Stu added. The two of them looked like they were touched by his words. Ada looked at them with confusion.”
“So you’re the military recruit.” A man said from behind Tumes. 048 almost dropped his fuel container from the sudden shock. It was Axel but dressed as a janitor. He wore a cap reading ‘Canteen staff.’ He was holding a mop and a bucket.
“Axel!” 048 exclaimed.
“What the hell happened to you?” Yuri almost yelled.
“Oh, yeah. The council was not happy about Akuna. The sons of bitches ordered me six months of hell.” Axel said.
“Hell?” Ada asked.
“They asked me to serve as the lunch lady’s assistant for six months.” He sounded like he was about to break the mop into two. “And I’ve hated that lady since my first day as a student here.”
“That’s rough,” Stu commented, looking sympathetically at Axel.
“Hey! I do pay for you to stand around!” The lunch lady screeched from the counter. “I get paid?” Axel asked softly. “Yeah. Well, see you around.” He said to the kids and walked off.
“Man, I feel bad for him,” Tatsu said. “Didn’t you two say that all he did was exorcize a mendthonel?” she asked.
“Yeah. All he did was a favor to the citizens of Pelgus. At least they don’t have to be sacrificed every night.” 048 expressed his opinion. He opened the fuel container and dipped his index finger into it.
“The council is rough. They don’t like it when we step out of their sophisticated rules.” Stu said. “I would go as far as saying that they are hypocrites.”
A few of the second years next to them turned their attention towards them.
“Seconds!” yelled Tumes, hoisting both of his huge arms up in the air.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“Shut up!” The lunch lady yelled. Laughter erupted in the hall.
After they were done, they headed to the first floor, A class with a banner reading ‘First years! Classes here!’ was occupied by Master Hanshon, standing next to his desk and quietly reading a book that was placed on it. There were two other students inside who waved at Ada and Tatsu as soon as they got inside.
“Welcome!” Master Hanshon said enthusiastically, slamming the book close. “Please take your seats.”
He rubbed the board clean and faced the class. “To be clear, I am your Kre-Gia master, and our classes usually take place outside, in the front yard. But It is vital that you understand what you are going to study this year.” He took a glance around. “Does anyone know how many years it takes for you to graduate from this school?” he asked.
“Four.” Ada raised her arm and answered.
“Correct. Four long years. You will have to train hard and pass our examinations to become a qualified Valor.” He adjusted his glasses. “But what gives a Valor power?” Hanshon asked the students again.
“His strength?” Tumes excitedly answered.
“No. It was a rhetorical question. The answer is Gia.” Hanshon said. “What is Gia?, you might ask. Gia is what surrounds us. It is a force field that can only be accessed by a very few percentage of our population. Almost all Valors are born with a high Gia count, but in some special cases it can be awakened through intense training.” He took out a katana that was placed in the corner of the room and showed it to the class.
“Tumes, If i remember correctly? Would you be willing to participate in a simple demonstration of Gia usage? It won’t be dangerous, I promise.”
“Sure.” Tumes nodded his head and agreed.
He walked up to Hanshon and held the katana,
“Now, try to cut the desk in front of you.” Hanshon took the book off his desk and moved aside.
“What?” Tumes asked.
“Just try to cut it. Use your full force.” He instructed,
With a big swing that was almost impossible to see, Tumes tried to cut the desk, but he failed. The katana was stuck at the top, only an inch inside it.
“Why do you think you were unable to complete the task?” Hanshon asked.
“Well, the sword’s too thin and very blunt.” Tumes answered.
“Exactly. Thank you. You may go back to your seat now.” Hanshon moved back and retrieved the katana.
“Everyone, watch me closely,” Hanshon said. He tightened his grip and breathed gently. Slowly, a green coating appeared over the katana’s blade. It was not very thick but it was flashy. He swung the katana with the same force as Tumes, but this time the desk was cleanly cut into two pieces. He placed the katana back into the corner and asked without turning back.
“My physical strength is comparable to Tumes’s at best, but why was I able to cut it?”
“Because you used Gia?” Yuri asked.
“Correct. I shrouded the katana in Gia. It can be a power source that is used in both offensive and defensive circumstances. That brings us to the classification of Gia forms.” He picked up a piece of chalk from one of the benches and started drawing on the blackboard.
“Don’t feel overwhelmed.” Hanshon advised as soon as he finished drawing.
“Too late.” Tatsu whispered to Yuri.
“It’s quite simple actually. See, Gia can be channeled both externally and internally. When I say ‘externally’, It means to transfer one’s gia to an object, a weapon in our case. The gia coats the weapon and makes it stronger and more durable. The only difference between the classifications of external channeling is the usage of different stances.”
“Stances?” 048 asked him.
“Yes. Stances. Just like in real life, we can assume defensive or offensive stances. And in some cases, a mixture of both. It's that simple. Forms or external channeling is the process of transferring your Gia into the weapon, while assuming one of the three stances.” Tatsu raised her hand eagerly.
“Yes.”
“Does the weapon have to always be a katana?” She asked.
“No. Don’t worry, we will be experimenting with different weapons and see what will fit you.”
“Feats or internal channeling on the other hand might look quite complicated at first glance.” He moved on to the next topic. “I promise you, It’s not.”
“Has anyone seen the textbook that I had on me earlier?” Hanshon asked them. Yuri immediately realized the book that Master Hanshon had in his hands the entire time, was not in the room anymore. It had disappeared.
“How did you do that?” Stu asked.
Hanshon smiled, closed his eyes, and said. “Watch me closely.” He held out his right hand and the book popped into his hands, out of thin air.
“That’s wicked!” exclaimed Tatsu.
“That is internal channeling. I used my surplus Gia to hide the book into the second realm.”
“Second realm?” Yuri asked.
“Yes, It’s an entire realm that is made of Gia. Don’t worry about that now, we will be learning about that next year.” He told Yuri.
“Now, the feat I just performed is one of the two sub-classification of Internal channeling.” He continued. “I will now demonstrate the second feat.”
He pulled out a gun from his yellow robe pocket. “Tumes, If you may assist me again.” He handed the gun over to Tumes. The whole class gasped.
“Are you serious?” Tumes asked, reluctantly holding the gun.
“Come on, You were in the military. It won’t be dangerous. Besides, this bit is fun.”
Tumes nodded and got up from his seat.
Hanshon took out the katana again, which became coated in green a few seconds later. “Now fire at me. Anywhere in my body.”
Yuri watched closely. Tumes fired, and their ears were deafened. But they saw it, Master Hanshon deflected the bullet in one swift move, piercing the bullet into two.
“Thank you.” Hanshon coolly took back the gun and returned to the center of the class. “Can anyone tell me what I just did?” he asked.
“You enhanced your speed and senses?” Ada guessed.
“Close. I only enhanced my speed. Enhanced senses is an advanced technique, which we won’t be studying anytime soon.”
048 raised his hands. Master Hanshon nodded.
“So, we will be learning all these in four years?” 48 asked.
“No, you will master all the said techniques in your first year itself, except for the two advanced ones that I marked on the board. You will spend your second year traveling to different parts of the country to gain knowledge. In your third year, you will spend your time preparing and participating in the tournament. And in your final year, you will be assigned under a Valor to go on missions.” Hanshon said, observing all the excitement that popped up in everyone’s eyes.
“Forget about all that. Focus on now. Mastering all the techniques within a year is no easy task. You will have to pour your heart and soul into every second of your training.” He advised. “Now, we will be heading outside to start the basics of Kre-Gia, also known as?”
“Defensive form.” Stu answered.
The front yard was busy with second years fighting against each other under the supervision of one of the masters, Yuri recognized her, she was the escort who brought Ada and Tatsu to the island.
They found a group of clean and straight wooden sticks inside a bamboo bin.
“All right now, focus up. Take a stick and copy me.” Hanshon said while assuming a wide-leg stance with both his arms holding a stick. They followed.
“Imagine your body burning up.” Hanshon said. “And try to focus all the energy on the stick.”
Only Hanshon’s stick was burning blue. The rest of them looked constipated.
“Wider. Relax your legs and find your legs.” Hanshon adjusted Yuri’s legs and chest by using his stick. Tatsu was screaming as she tried to channel her gia.
“Relax. It’s not easy. All of you will be spending the whole day opening their body to gia channelment.” He told Tatsu.
It felt like hours to Yuri. None of them were able to complete the task. “Visualize your body burning. Feel the energy. Then, point it all towards the stick.” Hanshon told them. Tatsu and Stu looked like they were about to pass out from the sun.
“All right. Take a water break. Return and repeat the process after five minutes.”
They assembled around a tap pipe near the gardens, waiting for their turn.
“I can’t figure it out,” said Stu, panting.
“I was about to shit myself.” Tatsu mumbled as she choked on the tap water.
“I don’t know why we are so tired. All we did was stand in the sunlight for a few hours holding a stick.” Tumes said, although, he was the least tired of them all.
Yuri heard a slow rolling of wheels from his right. He turned his attention to it.
It was a wheelchair, sitting in the wheelchair was a frail young lady, around Ada’s age. “That’s because you’re on the right track.” she said.
“What do you mean?” Yuri asked.
“Trying to summon your Gia will make you tired. I have been watching you, you are all close to channeling it.” she said, smiling. Her voice was soft and sweet.
“I’m Yuri.” He told her.
“I’m Nanako. I am a second year.” She said, meeting his handshake.
Her hands were tender but strong, which was in opposition to her fragile body.
“The key is to focus. Do not let your mind run amok. You will get there.” She advised them.
“Thanks Nanako.” 048 said, moving in closer.
“Forty, long time no see. I heard the news. Congrats.”
“Oh… yeah, thanks.” 048 was burning up again.
“Break’s over. Back to training.” announced Master Hanshon. He was fiddling around with his stick.
“Thanks.” Yuri told her and picked up his stick that was resting against the wall.
She nodded happily.
They went back to continue their drill. Yuri was refreshed and determined to complete the task. Focus, he told himself. He relaxed his body and visualized himself on fire. Yuri could feel it working.
I’m close. Just a little more, he was sure. As soon as the feeling intensified, he opened his eyes and focused all his energy on the stick.
“I did it.” Stu exclaimed. From his side vision, Yuri saw Stu’s stick sparkling with light blue flames. It wasn’t strong but it was there.
“Me too.” Ada told them excitedly from behind.
All right, focus. He concentrated on the stick and yelled. It burned blue. It was thicker than he expected. The flames almost touched his body. He dropped the stick and it lay roasted on the ground, the edge of the stick was in ashes.
“Whoa! That’s so cool.” Stu told him.
Hanshon bent down and examined the stick. “Impressive, but try to balance your Gia next time. It could hurt you.”
Yuri nodded. He was satisfied with his work.
“Yes.” 048 said with a sigh. His stick was also blue now.
“This is nice.” Tumes swung around his burning stick and pretended to hit Ada.
“OH COME ON!” Tatsu yelled, still trying her hardest to make it happen.
“Don’t overexert yourself. Focus.” Hanshon instructed her. She followed.
“All those who have completed the task may take their leave. Your next class is tomorrow.” He informed them.
Tumes stayed behind to help Tatsu with her channelment. Yuri, Stu, 048, and Ada decided to spend their evening at the mess hall. They walked past a group of second and third years, who were still fighting against each other.
“I take it that you’ve completed the first lesson?” Nanako asked them as she observed her friends from her wheelchair.
“Yeah. Your advice was really useful. Thanks.” Yuri told her.
“Glad I could help.” Her eyes were still on the battle between the second and third years. She looked envious.
“We are going to the mess hall. Join us.” Ada told her. She smiled and nodded, finally taking her eyes off the fights.
The mess hall was empty, except for the depressing sight of Axel eating his lunch alone.
“Do you think he’s okay?” Stu asked Yuri. “I think I’m gonna buy him a sandwich.”
“Don’t waste your money.” The lunch lady advised. “Eat something for yourself. You haven’t had your lunch.”
Stu ignored her and bought them all a sandwich from the cafeteria. They didn’t complain since they didn’t have to eat the stinky-free meal like the one they ate this morning. Axel glanced at them and smiled.
“Six months?” Nanako said. “That is rough.”
“You tell me.” Axel said, eating his sandwich. “I swear, I will get into the council one day and put an end to this idiocracy myself.”
“That’s the spirit.” 048 told him.
“Anyway, enough about me. How did your first class go?” Axel asked. He finished up his sandwich and threw the wrapper in the waste bin.
“Interesting. I am completely exhausted. Channelment requires focus and precision.” Yuri said.
“I think I almost fainted.” added Stu.
“You think this is hard? Wait till you get to the woods.” Axel told them.
“Woods?” Ada asked.
“Yeah. Woods. The one behind the mansion. It is a hardcore drill but your offensive skills will become sharper.” He explained.
“I agree. It will make you immensely stronger.” Nanako said. “Also, where’s your short friend?” she asked.
“Oh, Tatsu? She’s still trying, unfortunately. Tumes is helping her out.” Ada replied.
“Tumes… He’s an interesting guy, isn’t he?” Axel asked, looking at Yuri.
“What do you mean?” Yuri asked back. They all leaned in to hear what Axel was about to say.
“Master Cora told me that he was not a natural born Gia user.” He said.
“Then?” Stu asked.
“Didn’t he say he was in the military? Are you saying he experienced an awakening during that time?” Yuri guessed.
“But that is incredibly rare. Impossible, to some extent.” Nanako commented.
“There is no other explanation.” Axel said. “If he did awaken his Gia during his time at the military, he is one strong man. The potential he holds is innumerable. In theory, his body could withstand great power.”
Yuri and Stu both felt jealous, but they also developed an admiration for Tumes.
“Well, I have to go before the bitch yells at me again.” Axel said. “Thanks for the sandwich, Stu.”
“Yeah, anytime.”
One by one they all left, leaving just Yuri behind at the cafeteria. Before he knew it, he was napping on the table. It was peaceful until it was interrupted by someone touching his hair. He woke up, slightly startled, and looked around. There was no one, and the outside was dark. It was nighttime, he gathered. He stretched on the chair and got up to leave for the dorm.
By the time he reached the main building, his distracted mind heard a small commotion near the front yard. He watched from behind the tree. It was Tatsu holding her burning blue stick and yelling “I GOT IT! I DID IT!”. Tumes was jumping around and lifting her in the air. He smiled at them.